This invention relates to the field of electrical bridging clips which may be used to interconnect a plurality of electrical terminals which are spaced apart in horizontal rows and vertical columns. More particularly, this invention relates to a new and improved bridge clip having a novel centering tab to effect accurate placement and self-alignment between terminals and therefore avoid undesirable electrical shorting or commoning.
Terminal connecting blocks are used extensively in the fields of electronics and communications. For example, they are used by the telephone industry in distribution cabinets for connecting conductors in a cable from an exchange to other conductors extending to various stations within a building. One type of terminal connecting block is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,498 and comprises a plurality of connector elements arranged in spaced horizontal rows and vertical columns of terminals in a connector block. Each element comprises a plurality of connectors joined together at a base portion. Each of the connectors is of the insulating penetrating type, i.e., the insulation on an electrical conducting wire is sheared when the wire is inserted in the connector.
It is often desired or required to interconnect a plurality of electrical terminals which are spaced apart in rows or columns. A well known connecting technique which has become widely accepted by those skilled in the art is to utilize a one-piece metal connector clip of approximate U-shape and termed a bridging clip. Bridging clips similar to the type hereinabove discussed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,376 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 224,406. U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,376 describes a plurality of bridging or connector clips separately attached at desired intervals along a longitudinal supporting means capable of interconnecting vertical columns of electrical terminals.
In many applications, it is desired to interconnect horizontal rows of electrical connectors. To accomplish this task, bridging clips with lengths large enough to span the distance between two or more electrical connectors have been available (the length being dependent on the number of connectors to be interconnected).
As previously discussed, electrical connectors similar to U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,498 comprise a plurality of fingers at particular intervals. When connecting those fingers arranged in a horizontal row, the bridging clip is visually aligned by the installer and after a downward force, is engaged by the bias action inherent in the U-shaped metal clip. Unfortunately, these bridging clips may become misaligned either by inadvertant contact made by the installer either during the initial installation or during subsequent repair work. This misalignment will cause an end portion of the bridging clip to electrically contact an adjacent electrical connector and result in undesirable electrical shorting or commoning between three connectors. For example, if a bridging clip designed to connect two adjoining connectors is inaccurately placed (not correctly centered), it is very likely that one edge of the bridging clip will contact a third adjoining connector. This unintentional touching will result in electrical contact between all three connectors and therefore short out the desired circuit.
Prior art bridging clips have attempted to solve this problem by utilizing a central window for improving visual alignment and a vertical slot running down the center of the clip for fixedly engaging the clip thereto. Unfortunately, none of these attempts have adequately overcome this time consuming and costly misalignment problem.